32 | Heritage Turkey | 2015

Archaeological- and eco-tourism in Pisidia

Işılay Gürsu | British Institute at Ankaradoi:10.18866/biaa2015.121

Public archaeology and the promotion and management ofcultural heritage represent important new approaches to theunderstanding and appreciation of Turkey’s rich historic andarchaeological past. The British Institute at Ankara is at theforefront of these developments and, since 2013, has beenconducting one of the pioneer cultural heritage managementprogrammes in Turkey. The programme concentrates on twosites – Aspendos and Pisidia – and is mainly funded by theHeadley Trust and the Institute. The projects at both sites aimto create a ‘road map’ that will lay out guidelines for theimplementation of an archaeological heritage managementplan. The road maps will focus on the documentation andpreservation of archaeological sites and the potential, withlocal collaboration, for sustainable socio-economic benefits.

The Aspendos and Pisidia projects have been developedseparately, and the first phase of work was dedicated to thepreparation of a sustainable development plan for the culturaland natural heritage of Aspendos and its surroundings, incollaboration with Hacettepe University, Ankara. This plan isnow being put into action (see the next article, pages 34–35).The second phase consists of the creation of a regional culturalheritage plan for the ancient area of Pisidia, located in theTaurus mountain range to the north of the Pamphylian plain.

Destination Pisidia! Pisidia is the ancient name of the region in southern Turkeythat lies within the boundaries of the modern provinces ofAntalya, Isparta and Burdur. This highland region stretchesnorth of the coastal plain of Antalya and includes lakes

Burdur, Eğirdir and Beyşehir. Although Pisidia is extremelyrich in terms of its archaeological heritage, it is little knownand almost entirely unvisited.

This cultural heritage management project focuses on theancient cities of southern Pisidia, most of which have beeninvestigated by archaeologists affiliated with the BritishInstitute at Ankara over the past three decades. These includePednelissos, Melli, Sia, Ariassos, Cremna, Adada, Selge,Kapıkaya and Döşeme Boğazı. Despite its proximity toAntalya, one of the main tourism hubs of Turkey, this20,000km2 area does not attract or cater for visitors.

The city sites, hidden amongst the stunning forests ofPisidia, offer a unique and sublime experience to theoccasional visitor. Considerable damage and deteriorationhave been noted at many of these Pisidian cities since initialinvestigations by Institute-affiliated archaeologists. Much ofthe destruction is due to illicit digging, but neglect is also acause, and neither problem can be addressed by laws andregulations alone. Successful intervention has to involve thelocal communities in the protection of their heritage.

Thus this project for the development of archaeological-and eco-tourism in the ancient region of Pisidia aims topromote both the cultural and the natural heritage of theregion for visitors, and especially for those who enjoy an off-the-beaten-track experience. Additionally, the project aims toimplement a sustainable management plan which will enablelocal communities to offer suitable visitor facilities based onthe ethos of eco-tourism. It is neither anticipated nor intendedthat Pisidia will become a mass-tourist destination within theforeseeable future; it could, however, become a ‘greendestination’, so long as sensible strategies are introduced. Assuch, the region has the potential to become a model forother similar areas in Turkey.

C U LT U R A L H E R I TA G E , S O C I E T Y & E C O N O M YThe promotion, management and regulation of cultural heritage is a complex process involvingmany different agents and stakeholders on local, national and international levels. It is a criticalelement of public policy involving a diverse range of actors such as international organisations,governmental ministries and agencies, political parties, private organisations, museums and localcommunities. How cultural heritage is produced and consumed, interpreted and understood canhave profound impacts on structuring social and economic interaction and decision‐making.Likewise, it influences the formation of social values and ideas as well as notions of commonidentity and history. It also affects economic and infrastructural development across a range ofdifferent levels. Cultural heritage management and its importance has only become an issuerecently in Turkey and is now rapidly developing. As a result, a whole range of new issues andproblems for which solutions have to be found within Turkey, but also on a much wider scale,have arisen. It is these inter‐relationships contained within the field of cultural heritage that thisStrategic Research Initiative sets out to examine in the Turkish context.

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The British Institute at Ankara has been trying to raisefunds for the implementation of this project. The PisidiaAppeal has been one of the initiatives towards this goal(www.biaa.ac.uk/donate/pisidia-appeal; and see the advert onthe inside back cover of this magazine). With contributionsfrom supporters of the Institute based in the UK, Turkey andacross the world, the project can continue to produce tangibleresults which will touch the lives of both the localcommunities living in the vicinity of the sites and thosetravellers who would come to explore this beautiful region.

The elements of the project that have been developed inorder to promote Pisidia as a destination are formulatedunder two headings: those directed at visitors and thoseinvolving local communities.

The elements of the project targetted at visitors involvethe development of outreach facilities; these include theconstruction of very light infrastructure around the sites andmaking information about them available to potentialvisitors. Pisidian sites are valuable not only because of theirarchaeological importance, but also for the landscape inwhich they are located. There are already some paths thatconnect the sites to each other, some of which are remnantsof ancient roads, and the ultimate aim is to create walkingroutes in Pisidia. This can be done by identifying viableroutes and installing informative signage along them in orderto orientate hikers and mountain bikers. GPS points thatidentify archaeological or natural points of interest can beshared via corresponding websites, apps for smartphones andprinted maps in a guidebook.

One element of the project to promote Pisidia as adestination – ‘(un)known Pisidia’ – aims to evaluate thearchaeological sites within their landscape, to produce

brochures and a website, and to use new technologies for thepresentation of sites. For instance, stable solar-poweredobservation binoculars with Oculus Rift technology can beplaced on site to display virtual three-dimensionalreconstructions of monuments.

The second element of the project aims to raise localawareness about archaeological heritage and promote thePisidia project in general. This will include bringing locals andarchaeologists together for information sharing about thefindings of surveys and excavations along with providingtechnical assistance for the conversion of a few houses toB&Bs; there are some traditional stone houses in the regionwhich might be potential accommodation units. Additionally,capacity building in terms of developing organic farming andeco-tourism is another component of this part of the project.Lastly, the creation of an intangible heritage inventory of theregion is planned. The inventory will include local cuisine,festivals, music, living traditions, etc., in order to promotethese characteristics of contemporary life in the region.

To enable the realisation of the projects detailed above,we have started contacting government offices. Threeinformative meetings have been undertaken with BurdurMuseum, Isparta Museum and the Regional ConservationCouncil. We are also preparing for exploratory trekking tripswith Ümit Işın, a professional tour guide and anarchaeologist with whom we will collaborate for the creationof paths and routes around and between the sites. Therefore,we plan to be in the Taurus mountains towards the end of thisyear and will share our findings via our website(www.culturalheritageturkey.com), and we look forward tothe development of mobile apps and the publication of aguidebook in 2016!

Map of ancient Pisidia (producedby Michele Massa) and view ofPednelissos in Pisidia